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First Baptist Church of Winona's July 4 celebration at baseball-softball complex

Published on Friday, 27 June 2014 05:42 - Written by

The First Baptist Church of Winona will hold its annual Independence Day Celebration at the Winona High School Baseball and Softball complex.

The July Fourth Festivities begin at 7 p.m.

This year’s event will include softball games, a motorcycle show, street stock car and truck show, live music, water slides for kids and karaoke. Hot dogs, sodas and water also will be available with donation stations available, according to a news release.

“When the church started this event some 15 or more years ago, it was basically a church picnic,” Tony Watson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Winona, said in the release. “Over the years, God has brought some folks to our church who had a vision to make it bigger. Now we have a licensed fireworks operator in our church, and he produces a show that rivals that of many big cities. By dark, there are literally hundreds of people in lawn chairs, in the bleachers or sitting on tailgates and car hoods lining the street.”

The church considers the event “a gift to the community” but will accept donations.

“People always ask if we charge for hot dogs or bottled water or admission to the event. We don’t charge anything, but this year, we are setting up donation stations where people can give cash or write a check to help offset the cost,” Watson said. “As you can imagine, with an event of this magnitude, the cost has risen each year. We are thankful that the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce has sponsored a large part of the fireworks this year, and several other local individuals and businesses have given sponsorships as well.”

For more information, contact the church office at 903-877-3273 or email Watson at pastor@winonafbc.org.